1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for dispensing string material, such as suture, and, more particularly, to apparatus in which the string material is wound on a spool disposed in liquid.
2. Description of Background Art
Prior art suture dispensing apparatus comprise a housing in which a spool having suture wound thereabout is rotatably disposed. The housing is hollow and typically includes a liquid, for example, an antiseptic such as alcohol, in which the spool of suture is disposed to maintain the suture moist and/or sterile. The cost of the alcohol increases the production cost of the apparatus and, accordingly, it has been desired to reduce the amount of alcohol used in the dispenser. Further, due to government regulations, shipping costs are increased if the amount of alcohol exceeds a certain limit. For example, the prior art dispenser housing usually has a square or rectangular outer shape or periphery, the bottom panel thereof is often recessed into the housing to form an arcuate base surface which closely matches the contour of the spool. This recessed bottom reduces the size of the interior of the housing (relative the outer walls thereof) and thus decreases the amount of alcohol required to fill same. However, although prior art apparatus have attempted to reduce costs by reducing the amount of alcohol used to fill the housing, a considerable volume of alcohol is still required to adequately coat the suture, and thus there remains room in the art for improvement.
Prior art suture-dispensing apparatus are subject to various problems in addition to requiring a considerable amount of alcohol to fill the housing. In particular, the spools about which the suture is wound typically have a relatively small diameter, for example 1 inch. When a major portion of the suture has been dispensed from the spool, the remaining suture, i.e. the terminal section of the length of suture wound on the spool, remains tightly curled or coiled upon removal from the spool and is unusable. Consequently, use of prior art apparatus results in wasted suture which is too tightly coiled or otherwise distorted to use in medical procedures. As such, there is a need in the art for an improved suture-dispensing apparatus which avoids such problems.
Another problem with prior art suture dispensing apparatus relates to the handling of the device during operation. A user will typically hold the device in one hand, squeezing the opposite sidewalls of the container between the thumb and fingers, while grasping the free end of the suture with the other hand to withdraw and cut a desired length of suture. The user's one hand applies force and pressure against the sidewalls of the housing which flex inward toward the spool of suture. As the spool of suture typically is free-floating within the housing, i.e. it does not have an axle (to save costs), deflecting the sidewalls of the housing contacts and interferes with rotation of the spool. Specifically, a conventional spool is reel-shaped with a core extending between enlarged outer circular walls which support the suture wound about the core. The outer circular walls are adjacent to, but spaced slightly from, the interior of the sidewalls of the outer housing. Thus, squeezing the sidewalls of the housing toward each other often causes the housing walls to contact the walls of the rotating spool, thereby slowing or stopping such rotation. The user may continue to attempt to pull the free end of the suture away from the apparatus which, due to the spool being held or impeded from rotating, results in breaking the suture. These problems result in wasted suture and inefficient performance of medical procedures as well as overall frustration with the performance of the dispensing apparatus. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved suture-dispensing apparatus free of such problems.